


they come when they are called

by inquisitor_tohru



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Canon-Typical Violence, Demon Summoning, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Magic, Mild Smut, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:02:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21832630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_tohru/pseuds/inquisitor_tohru
Summary: After retrieving artifacts from Dathomir, Kylo Ren attempts a summoning ritual.Things do not go as planned.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38
Collections: Kylux Fanworks Secret Santa 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pandalolli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandalolli/gifts).



> Pandalolli: I generally stick to writing canonverse but I also loved the magic/demon suggestion...I hope you enjoy reading this fusion of the two as much as I enjoyed writing it for you <3

Kylo Ren carefully traced the letters inscribed on the ancient clay tablets. The language was neither familiar nor entirely alien. The letters closely resembled Aurebesh, yet their meanings eluded him. 

The Knights of Ren, assisted by one of the First Order's elite task forces, had brought them back from one of the Sith temples they visited - along with some rather ridiculous stories of demons and ghosts who stalked them through the temple's labyrinth. Ren sighed. He had expected this kind of silliness and superstition from the task force, but not from the Knights, who really ought to know better.

He closed his eyes and began to reach out, grasping for any memories that might still cling to the Sith artefacts, only to be interrupted by his comm beeping. He cursed, gripping the edge of his desk to help bring his focus back to the present, and to the material world.

"This had better be worthy of my attention."

"My apologies for interrupting your meditation time, Supreme Leader." It was one of the Knights - their voice modulators made it difficult to tell one of them from another over commlink. "We thought you would like to know that we have...extracted information regarding the tablets. From the archaeologist."

"Go on."

"They describe a sort of ritual. A  _ summoning _ , if you will." Ren realised then that he was speaking with Karth. She'd always had a flair for the dramatic. It was something Ren usually considered admirable in a Knight, but at times like these his patience began to wear thin.

"I do not have all day, Karth."

"Ah, my apologies once again, Supreme Leader." Her pleasure at being recognised by Ren felt like a quiet, gentle breeze in the Force. "It appears it's a ritual to summon a...a monster. It's not _quite_ an accurate translation - as our storyteller had it, we have no word for it in our language." Ren fought the urge to grind his teeth.

"I had surmised much of this. Tell me - do you know  _ how  _ to conduct the ritual?" 

He almost heard Karth cracking a smile when she said "yes".

* * *

"Perhaps your pronunciation is off, Supreme Leader." Hux was perched on the arm of Ren's throne, no doubt to irritate him further. It was working. 

" _ Something  _ is off," he seethed, unseating Hux with a flick of his wrist. But he landed on his feet, grinning like a loth-cat, and it wasn't nearly as satisfying as it should have been. Gritting his teeth, Ren turned back to the arrangement of stone tablets.

Maybe he ought to have paid more attention during his psychometry training, so that he might more easily perceive the echoes these artefacts left in the Force...but whether training under Skywalker or Snoke, Ren had never really taken to the practice. The two masters' reactions to that had been very different.

_ Enough reminiscing.  _ He would try again later, without Hux present. He wasn't entirely sure why Hux  _ was  _ here, as he had not been sent for, and there had been something very uncharacteristic about the way he'd swaggered into the throne room. He had not been so insolent since the day on the  _ Supremacy,  _ when he came upon Ren and Snoke's broken body. 

"Leave." When Hux turned smartly towards the door, Ren realised he'd been expecting,  _ hoping,  _ for more resistance. But he'd seemed happy to leave. It was the least surprising thing during this entire exchange, and perhaps the most disappointing.

* * *

Ren stepped into the circle for the fourth time, clutching a lock of raven hair, covering his nose with gloved fingers. He was sick of the smell of incense. There had to be something he was missing. It didn't help that Hux always found an excuse to appear at the most inopportune moments, sometimes as if out of thin air. Lately, his aura rippled ominously. An unsettling anomaly. A disturbance in the Force. It was as though he'd somehow outgrown his body and his flesh strained to contain his spirit. He was different, and Ren didn't like it one bit.

"He's more sure of himself," Karth shrugged. 

"He's always had a high opinion of himself."  _ But he used to strut, not swagger. _ Something wasn't right. The General Hux leading the discussion in the war room just then was a very different creature to the Hux he'd known a week ago. 

"Indeed." Karth wrinkled her nose at Ren's datapad, still on his desk, untouched and covered by a thin layer of dust. "But he's...bolder. I have seen him enter the throne room unannounced,  _ uninvited. _ " Ren frowned, not because what Karth said was irritating, though of course it  _ was _ , but because as far as she ought to know, Ren may well have requested Hux's presence. Unless…

"Do you mean to say there have been...additional visits?" Karth raised an eyebrow.

"I realised it was without your permission, but not without your  _ knowledge _ ." She gulped as Ren clenched his fist. "Only once, Supreme Leader. Three days ago."


	2. Chapter 2

three days ago (galactic standard time)

_ Hux shuddered as two figures in black strode past him, their capes flapping behind them. Since Kylo Ren had succeeded Snoke as Supreme Leader, the Knights of Ren had become a familiar presence on the  _ Finalizer _. Hux assumed whatever abilities they may or may not possess must be lesser than their leader's.  _

_ His observations supported this assumption and it was reasonable to imagine that, if one or more of the Knights was a match for Kylo Ren, a power struggle would have ensued. Or at least the possibility of one - and that possibility was one that any Supreme Leader would have wished to eliminate.  _

_ However, that did not mean they weren't dangerous. Hux traced the outline of the monomolecular blade, concealed within his sleeve. He thought about his fake code cylinder, filled with powdered poison. His whole life had been rife with death, he was no stranger to it. But for a person to be able to, quite literally, choke the very  _ life _ from another...that was something that frightened Hux. Indeed, he would have serious doubts about the mental faculties of anyone who was  _ not _ afraid of that. _

_ The six stone tablets were still laid out on the shining black floor of what was, for all intents and purposes, Ren's throne room aboard the  _ Finalizer _. Hux picked them up, one at a time, checking each slab and arranging them in a circle. The soles of his boots squeaked as he stepped into the centre, rather ruining the effect he'd been hoping for.  _

_ He breathed deeply, closed his eyes, and spoke a single word. _

* * *

For the first time in years, Hux wasn't afraid. And the only catch (if you could even  _ call  _ that a catch) was that he had to share his body with a being of great power. 

It would take some getting used to, naturally. Arcane knowledge, an altered connection to the Force, dark magicks at his fingertips...and most of all, the constant  _ company.  _ Hux steeled himself for incessant chatter, but instead found the demon's thoughts mingled with his own. There was something very intimate about it all, and he was unsure what to do with that. But what mattered was that Ren couldn't hurt him. Snoke couldn't hurt him. Brendol couldn't-

_ No _ , he reminded himself.  _ Snoke is dead. My father is dead. _ He felt a swell of pride that was both his and the demon's. Sharing your darkest secrets with another was strange to him, but stranger still was knowing there was someone who was proud of something he'd done. It was a good feeling, even if that someone was a demon (or spirit, actually, depending on who you asked). Yes, this promised to be the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship.

* * *

Ren pushed with the Force, but something still prevented him from entering Hux's suite. As he  _ was  _ the Supreme Leader, his code cylinder ought to have allowed him unrestricted access. Yet here he was, probing at an invisible barrier.

It wasn't wholly unlike Force barriers he'd encountered, but was proving to be far more resistant towards his abilities. Behind the barrier he sensed a darkness that rivalled the aura surrounding what remained of Vader's helmet and the burnt flesh that clung to its interior. Ren kicked the door with a steel capped toe, before finally giving in and knocking. 

"Supreme Leader. We are truly  _ blessed _ ." 

"I am in no mood for your sarcasm," Ren said, searching Hux's eyes for...well, he wasn't entirely sure. Pale blue, and flecked with gold, as always.

"You'd deny us even that small pleasure?" Ren bit his lip.  _ We. Us. _ If he had been unsure before, he was not now. 

"Might I know the name of the one I'm speaking with?" Hux smiled again. That loth-cat smile that threatened to split his cheeks wide open.

"General Armitage Hux." The voice sounded right, the syllables of each word accentuated just so, but his mannerisms were still all wrong. It was as if Hux was slipping away.

"And?"

"That would be, ahem... _ confidential _ . But rest assured, this was a  _ union. _ Not a hostile takeover." 

"Of course, you  _ would _ say that." Ren pushed with the Force, tentatively this time. Unfortunately, whatever it was that he was dealing with was more than a simple parasite to be dislodged. He recalled the way he and the scavenger had flickered in and out of one another's lives. He'd thought the connection was beyond their control - until she'd severed it. The bond between Hux and this other being was similar, though Ren did not know all the particulars. Neither could he trust the man in front of him to provide him with those details. 

"I am surprised it troubles you. I didn't know you cared." Hux's smugness infuriated him.

"It troubles me that you  _ stole  _ this power for yourself. Power that you have  _ no idea- _ " Nestled within the pauses between Hux's expressions of amusement, Ren was sure he heard a second laugh. 

Hux shook his head, his lips twisting into a familiar (and oddly comforting) sneer. "Stole? From what I recall, you did not ask permission before seizing those tablets from that crumbling old ruin."

"You're in over your head, Hux. You could never hope to comprehend such power-"

"And  _ you  _ could? Please, Ren. You have the power to destroy people. We have the power to destroy  _ worlds _ ." Ren didn't need Hux to confirm that  _ we  _ did not include him. 

"I remember. You didn't seem to need any assistance with that." It was not unlike Hux to seek out power. What  _ was _ strange was for Hux to seek help, and...spiritual or supernatural help at that. The general made no secret of his disdain for all things mystical - for those who relied on the Force.

"No," Hux agreed, a note of bitterness creeping into his voice. "I did not. I  _ do  _ not. But recent developments have made this alliance necessary." Hux reached for his collar, before snapping his hand back to his side. A moment of vulnerability.

_ So he is still in there. _


	3. Chapter 3

After being made to feel small for most of his life, the demon's presence made him feel like he was taking up more space than he ought, like a jigsaw puzzle with too many pieces. 

Yet he still did not doubt Ren's ability to pick all those pieces apart.

_ Power is nothing if you hold onto your fear.  _ That had been the demon's parting advice, before they became one and the same. 

_ "I know fear. I  _ was _ mortal. At much as any being of Dathomir can be."  _ Hux had heard tales of the witches that inhabited that planet once. Dead and gone, as far as most of the galaxy was concerned...though if what Hux overheard Karth and Lilith discussing was true, the "gone" part was up for debate. Along with the stone tablets, they brought back stories of hushed whispers in the shadows, strange behaviours in the local animals, and hollowed out burial pods.

"There was a massacre there," Lilith had muttered. "It's as if the planet itself seeks vengeance." Karth was, unusually for her, a little more reserved. 

"Yes, the dark side is strong on Dathomir." Hux could tell there was more to the story, and that Lilith was keen to share. Keen enough to become rather loose-lipped. It had been easy for Hux to acquire knowledge of the ritual - all he had to do was ask. 

And now here they were, two creatures who had been called demons, inhabiting one body.

Ren was angry because he desired the union for himself, that much was clear. But there was something else gnawing away at his subconscious - something that Hux couldn't quite put his finger on either. He shrugged, and returned his attention to crushing a Bleeding Gut flower into a red, pulpy consistency, carefully measuring the quantity before adding it to Lilith's potion. He wasn't particularly concerned with her inevitable punishment, once Ren discovered who'd leaked details about the ritual to him...but a deal was a deal, and besides, she may prove useful again.

* * *

"You speak about him a lot, Master," Karth said lightly, busying herself with polishing her weapon. It always amused Ren, how much time she would spend maintaining her pollaxe, while her armor remained battered and rusty.

"Who?" Karth smiled, and Ren wished his face was hidden behind the comforting black and silver of his mask. "Oh, him. The perpetual thorn in my side, more of a nuisance than the  _ girl _ ." Karth nodded, keeping any further thoughts to herself. 

R- the scavenger girl - he  _ refused _ to use her name - had stolen the lightsaber, and now Hux had taken power that was rightfully his. Why was it that the latter unsettled him so much more? Hux's devotion to the First Order had never been in question, but the two of them were no more allies than he and the scavenger were. Occasionally their interests aligned, but that was all.

What was it that made the sight of that  _ thing _ sauntering about the  _ Finalizer  _ in Hux's skin so unbearable? 

* * *

"I could create an illusion." Hearing Hux, of all people, make such a suggestion at a strategy meeting was surreal to say the least.

"An  _ illusion _ ." 

"A deception. A false appearance-"

"I know what an illusion is, General," Ren snapped, his grip on the desk tightening as Hux's lips curled into a sneer. "I do not see why we  _ need _ one when we have the  _ Finalizer's _ cloaking device." 

"The rebels  _ may _ be able to track our magnetic signature. It's better to be safe than sorry, is it not?" Hux had a point, though Ren was loathe to admit it. They had underestimated the Resistance before, and it  _ was _ better to be cautious. 

"Very well." Ren waved a hand dismissively. "You may tinker with your Magicks." Hux's expression soured at that.

"I'm not playing around or tinkering,  _ Ren _ . It's an exact science, requiring discipline and skill." 

"You will address me in the proper manner," Ren reminded him coolly. "I just wonder how much in the way of skill can be developed in less than a week. Even with...assistance." Some of the other officers present shifted uncomfortably. Ren couldn't tell whether their discomfort was due to Hux's strange new abilities, or the simple fact that two of their superiors were having a disagreement. If he hadn't been so concerned with Hux himself, he might have enjoyed pushing them to side with one or the other of them. 

"You had teachers, too." Hux shrugged, and smiled - subtle this time, not the big loth-cat grin. Ren felt an odd sense of relief at this. "Though I hope to be a better student." 

"In any case, you have my permission to conduct the ritual of illusion," Ren said, pausing before he turned to the silent row of officers. "Why are you still here?" 

He'd never seen anyone leave a room faster than Lieutenant Mitaka did just then.

* * *

Hux left the room at his own pace, or he would have done, were it not for Ren using the Force to slam the door in front of him.

"Always so dramatic." Ren stepped closer. Too close. Uncomfortably close. He never did have much sense of personal space. 

"You will not disrespect me in front of-"

"Are you trying to use one of your mind tricks? They won't work." They never had, though there were times it had been convenient for Hux to pretend they had - when the choice was between that and being thrown against another wall.

_ He can't hurt you anymore. He can't- _

"No. I'm telling you what's going to happen from now on." His face was centimetres away from Hux's. He could feel Ren's breath on his own lips, hot and irregular. "I don't expect you to  _ agree _ with every decision I make, but in front of the soldiers…" Ren sighed. "We present a united front."

"That's surprisingly rational, for you. But we both know this is a matter of pride over practicality."

"You forget your place. Perhaps I ought to remind you of it."

"I'd love to see-" Before Hux even finished his sentence he raised his left hand, engulfed in luminescent green mist, to deflect Ren's attack. Ren lashed out again, this time with his lightsaber, only to find Hux's form had disappeared and reappeared behind him.

"That power should have been  _ mine _ ," he growled, steadying himself after nearly toppling forward.

"Yours? I  _ saw _ the materials you gathered for the ritual. That lock of hair was too long to be your own." He could sense Ren's mind at work, trying to piece together exactly what Hux knew. "I was told the Knights of Ren 'took what the galaxy gave them and consumed what the dark side sent them', and yet you meant to bind the demon to Lilith."

"She is loyal to me." Ren bit his lip. "Or she  _ was. _ "

"You're not angry that someone else gained this power. You're angry that  _ I  _ took it. You  _ hate  _ it."

"Yes," Ren snarled, swinging his lightsaber at Hux once again, growing more furious when he missed his target. "Of course I hate that it was taken by someone with no inkling of what it means, how it could be  _ used- _ "

"No. You hate it because you no longer have the upper hand. Because now you know how  _ Snoke _ felt about  _ you- _ " Suddenly, Ren's lips were on his, gloved fingers curling desperately into his collar. He could anticipate every attack, but not this. After a moment, Ren pulled back, looked directly into his eyes, and spoke more softly than Hux had ever heard.

"I very much doubt that."

* * *

He'd realised it sometime after speaking to Karth. He'd realised it again when they were arguing, and then  _ again _ when they were fucking on Hux's couch. 

The thing that bothered him about Hux's pact with the demon was the reason he'd planned to bind it to Lilith, rather than himself. His fear for Hux had been the same fear he'd had for himself - the loss of identity. For some stupid reason, in some twisted way, he cared about Hux. Losing him would be like losing a limb. 

When he woke in bed, Ren rolled over to make sure that Hux was still here. That this actually  _ happened.  _

It had. 

Hux lay on his side, long legs tangled in the soft grey covers. Ren carefully ran his fingers over a lightly freckled shoulder. His outline was still touched faintly by the ethereal green glow Ren had witnessed earlier in the day. A protection spell, he realised. Slowly, Hux opened his eyes.

"Well, you didn't try to kill me in my sleep."

"You almost sound disappointed." Hux smiled. Not quite the loth-cat smile, and not quite his own. Something new, yet  _ familiar _ . If Hux was changed, but still  _ Hux _ ...perhaps Ren could get used to that smile.

"It could have been entertaining." 

"Have I not entertained you enough already?"

"Oh, not nearly enough." Hux shuffled closer, until their skin was touching. "I'm cold." Ren slid a hand beneath the covers, resting it on Hux's hip. 

"Funny. You don't feel cold to me." His fingers danced over the soft flesh of Hux's inner thigh, finding their way back to his cock. 

"Shut up."

"So bossy. Are you going to make me do all the work again, too?" 

"What do you think?" Hux smiled lazily as he leaned into the touch. It was strange to see him so relaxed, but then it was near impossible for anyone to harm him while that protection spell was active. 

The green mist shimmered each time Hux exhaled, Ren's rhythm steady. His free hand grasped towards the bedside table for lube and a condom, only to find they were already in Hux's hand. 

"Um, thanks." He gave Hux a gentle nudge, urging him to roll onto his back, and clambered on top of him.

"Graceful." Ren bit his lip as he lowered himself onto Hux's cock, admiring the pretty shapes the general's mouth made with each gasp. Ren had only had sex with one other person, and Hux was quiet by comparison, but that didn't bother him. His body and mind responded in other ways. Ren moaned as Hux thrusted, steadying him with a hand on his hip, nails barely scraping against his skin, gently tracing the lines they'd made earlier. 

"Slow down." Hux tightened his grip on Ren's hips, guiding his increasingly erratic movements towards an agonisingly slow rhythm. 

"What's wrong? Can't keep up?"

"Some of us are familiar with the concept of self-restraint." Without altering their pace, he thrusted  _ hard  _ into Ren as if to accentuate his point. "Especially when it serves a greater purpose." Ren scoffed.

"A  _ greater purpose _ ? I didn't realise this was all in the- the service of the First Order." 

"Far greater," Hux murmured, pulling Ren closer until he could almost taste the general's breath - a blend of bitter tarine tea and (surprisingly) Corellian whiskey. "Driving you  _ insane _ ." Ren whimpered when Hux's fingers wrapped around his cock. Whether it was down to his new abilities or his natural talents of perception, it hadn't taken Hux long at all to realise what made Ren tick - and he was taking full advantage of that. But even he only had so much restraint, and it wasn't long before his thrusts became more hurried, more urgent. 

Ren moaned into Hux's shoulder as he came, the two of them shuddering against one another as Hux drew closer to his own climax. 

"Get off."

"What?"

"You're covered in sweat. It's disgusting." Ren rolled his eyes.

"Pretty sure a lot of it's yours."

"No, I don't think so." He pushed Ren to the side, not roughly, but with a strength he had not possessed before. Ren found he did not dislike it. 

"Where do we go from here?" Hux was already heading to the 'fresher, a freshly pressed uniform waiting for him by the door. He regarded Ren with amusement.

"Well, if I recall, we have a group of Resistance spies to chase down and apprehend, and are in need of my strategic illusions and your martial prowess. So you'd better get moving. Time is of the essence."

Ren allowed himself a chuckle as the 'fresher door zipped shut behind Hux. 

He might not know exactly where it was headed, but this promised to be the beginning of a  _ mutually beneficial relationship. _


End file.
